Saturday, February 24, 2018

Avatar was a film that taught us to develop a new kind of relationship with nature. One that’s grounded in sense of gratitude and prosperity and generosity. Sulley models this connection in the scene where he goes on his first hunt as a rite of passage. He shoots down the great beast, pulls the arrow from the twitching body of a hexapede and dispatches it with his knife.He then speaks haltingly, but with feeling, and says:I see you brother, and thank you. Your spirit goes with god, your body stays behind to become part of the people. Best scene of the movie, hands down. Because it portrays the kind of interaction we should have with everything. It’s a relationship with the world that supports and enhances our overall experience of prosperity. Taylor’s analysis of the cultural and religious significance of this film dissects the scene in great detail. Uttering this native phrase, I see you, is a ritual that expresses the deep sense of reverence that spiritual hunters feel for their prey, he writes. Nature hunters felt the need to confront and rationalize the death of the animal. Motivated by a genuine respect for all wildlife, the nature hunter faced the paradox of inflicting violence on a world that was the object of great affection. Killing was not a final act, then, it was a spiritual transition. One that acknowledges the unity of life and death and accepts that pain and suffering are inherent in life. Can the modern man learn to live and love in such a spacious and generous way? Can we trust that the stream does not weep at the loss of water when we drink from it? Can we learn to take responsibility to the way abundance flows in and out of our lives? And can we leave scarcity behind and move toward a world of prosperity? One can only hope. Carlin used to do a brilliant routine about this very concept. He would say:People think nature is outside of them. They don’t take into them the idea that we’re part of it. They say, oh we’re going for a nature walk. We’re going to the country because we like nature. But nature is in here, and if you’re in tune with it like the native people, the balance of life, the harmony of the world, you don’t overbuild. It’s a symphony, and everybody is in the band. If we truly want to leave scarcity behind and move toward a world of abundance, that’s the attitude we must have. I see you brother, and thank you. Your spirit goes with god and your body stays behind to become part of the people. Remember, the world is an abundant place, but only if we’re willing to become a part of it.LET ME ASK YA THIS...What are your mechanisms for expressing gratitude?